Loud Tone for a Few Seconds — Fleeting / Transient Spontaneous Tinnitus

[geg1992]

Happens all the time to me! It's perfectly normal.

 

[Fiore]

Thanks guys, I could swear I've never had these moments before T it was as if going deaf and then boom back to normal.

 

[svintegrity]

Happens to me too. Glad to hear I am not the only one!

 

[Giovanni]

So, on top of regular tinnitus which I've habituated to, I have something else. That's scares the living hell out of me. It's like a random noise. That comes whenever it wants. And it sounds like a really high pitched whistle that lasts from 5-10 seconds.

But it scares me only because it's so random and loud. And I'm afraid to sleep right now knowing it may come back. Please give me your 2 cents on what this could be :/

 

[Fiore]

This is a very normal auditory phenomenon which occurs in healthy people without tinnitus. Like, literally every person I've ever asked about this, has said it happens to them at least once in a while, and I've read a bunch of neurological explanations about what it is.

That said, it seems to me that when my tinnitus is bad, this happens more often.

I hope this is true I got it for the second time today just now
I don't think i have ever experienced this before my T onset and whats weird is that these fleeting T started when I decided to hold my nose and blow air through my mouth (1 day ago) so as to open my tubes shouldn't have done that.

 

[Mark Beehre]

Today a little while ago all of sudden my hearing diminished in my right ear (syringed ear) and a beeeeeeeeeeee started that lasted only 2-3 seconds then went back to normal. I'm scared, does this happen normally? When it started I immediately covered my ear to make sure it was happening and it was. It happened so quickly and then went back to normal.

Hey Fiore, I get this from time-to-time. Sometimes I experience it a few times a day, sometimes I experience it once a month...there is no pattern and it doesn't get worse. When I habituated the first time 4 years ago I occasionally got it as well. Would always scare me because I think I have to go through the whole tinnitus thing again, but it vanishes as quickly as it comes and I forget about it and get back to life. Don't worry!

I have to point out as well...you auditory system is on red alert. A threat exists and so everything that happens in and around your ears is more pronounced. Habituation will start to kick in slowly and eventually the threat will be wiped and you will go back to whatever you were doing before...

 

[Fiore]

Thank you @Mark Beehre I sure hope so. This episodes are new for me so it scares me. Though I have read that people without T get these as well on occasion.

 

[marqualler]

I got this before and after persistent T and so does my wife who does not have persistent T. So I don't think this is anything to worry about!

 

[Steve Willo]

Had tinnitus in my left ear for about 6-8 weeks. Which has got better but I still get tempory tinnitis which rings for a bit then goes. I get this every day. In the other ear Just wondering if anybody else has had this and could this go with time



Thanks.

 

[nills]

Just wanted to share an observation I made just now. I was sitting with earplugs in front of the computer. nothing was playing. Of course the T is very loud ... it`s a hiss and static noise and than high tones on top of it. Than suddenly in a split second this hiss and tone in my right ear vanished completely and there was another split second of pure silence followed by a very pure tone in the 1000 hz range that became increasingly louder ... the one you used to hear when there was no television broadcast. This sound stayed for 10 - 15 seconds and slowly faded out and the hissing and static returned with the other higher tones ...

What the tinnitus is doing this?! Must be the brain is working and changing things - but it also means there is a moment in the brain where Silence happens ... even now however the T characteristics are pretty constant, sometimes it changes slightly and than returns again to it`s former state. Like little sparks of neurons changing the T qualities.

 

[Steve]

Just wanted to share an observation I made just now. I was sitting with earplugs in front of the computer. nothing was playing. Of course the T is very loud ... it`s a hiss and static noise and than high tones on top of it. Than suddenly in a split second this hiss and tone in my right ear vanished completely and there was another split second of pure silence followed by a very pure tone in the 1000 hz range that became increasingly louder ... the one you used to hear when there was no television broadcast. This sound stayed for 10 - 15 seconds and slowly faded out and the hissing and static returned with the other higher tones ...

What the tinnitus is doing this?! Must be the brain is working and changing things - but it also means there is a moment in the brain where Silence happens ... even now however the T characteristics are pretty constant, sometimes it changes slightly and than returns again to it`s former state. Like little sparks of neurons changing the T qualities.

I get this too, that beautiful moment of silence where you wonder if it will just stop and that's that. And mine is also that exact match of the old TV test card tone.

Surely there has to be something to this, something that can explain the mechanism of tinnitus and a way to treat it? It may be just a strange thing but it could mean something if we were able analyse it.

 

[LovesToTeach]

Anyone else get fleeting T like a dozen or more times a day? I've started to get this a lot more often lately (past few days) and it's shaking me up!!!

 

[MisterMystery]

I've had non-pulsatile tinnitus in my left ear for a while now. It doesn't bother me anymore. Last summer, I got fleeting unilateral tinnitus, where I would hear a high-pitched ring in either ear for about 10 seconds. This went on two or three times a week for several months before stopping in Fall 2014. Today, I've already gotten fleeting unilateral tinnitus four times (twice in the left ear, twice in the right ear), and it's barely lunch time. Is any of that clinically significant? For what it's worth, I've had pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear, on and off for the last four months, but it's currently "off." (Knock on wood...)

 

[Stink]

I've had non-pulsatile tinnitus in my left ear for a while now. It doesn't bother me anymore. Last summer, I got fleeting unilateral tinnitus, where I would hear a high-pitched ring in either ear for about 10 seconds. This went on two or three times a week for several months before stopping in Fall 2014. Today, I've already gotten fleeting unilateral tinnitus four times (twice in the left ear, twice in the right ear), and it's barely lunch time. Is any of that clinically significant? For what it's worth, I've had pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear, on and off for the last four months, but it's currently "off." (Knock on wood...)

probably random.don't worry.

 

[Nick the Swede]

I have come to some conclusions regarding this, at least in my case. When i dont exercise i get them 3-5/a week. When i am doing a lot of cardio (6-7 times/week), i dont have them at all during this period. If it´s a bloodflow thing or some kind of stress thing i don´t know.

 

[Thongjy]

Does anyone experience after experiencing a sudden loud noise like balloon burst that the T ear gives a short 4 second slightly louder ring and subside after that 4 seconds?

I understand from my family people without T also experience such things as well when subjected to loud noise.

Does anyone know the medical reason for this 4 second ringing? What causes that?

 

[Danny Boy]

Does anyone experience after experiencing a sudden loud noise like balloon burst that the T ear gives a short 4 second slightly louder ring and subside after that 4 seconds?

I understand from my family people without T also experience such things as well when subjected to loud noise.

Does anyone know the medical reason for this 4 second ringing? What causes that?

It's called temporary tinnitus, everyone gets this, time to time. It's perfectly normal. I get temporary tinnitus, a slightly higher tone, sometimes.

 

[Rina]

Me too... I've had it before T... Now after T is more frequent... Also higher pitch tone

 

[Thongjy]

It's called temporary tinnitus, everyone gets this, time to time. It's perfectly normal. I get temporary tinnitus, a slightly higher tone, sometimes.

I not referring to fleeting tinnitus that happens without loud noise or any reason.

I referring to the short 4 second ringing that happen right after the loud sound exposure.

 

[Danny Boy]

I not referring to fleeting tinnitus that happens without loud noise or any reason.

I referring to the short 4 second ringing that happen right after the loud sound exposure.

Yes and that happens quite a lot too, it's called temporary tinnitus. Soldiers who have been flash banged or any loud noise will get a ringing noise temporarily. This 4 second ring, that's over and done with, so calm down, it's over don't dwell on it.

 

[Thongjy]

Yes and that happens quite a lot too, it's called temporary tinnitus. Soldiers who have been flash banged or any loud noise will get a ringing noise temporarily. This 4 second ring, that's over and done with, so calm down, it's over don't dwell on it.

How does that 4 second ringing comes about biologically?

Why even people without T experience that when expose to loud noise like balloon popping near them?

 

[Danny Boy]

How does that 4 second ringing comes about biologically?

Why even people without T experience that when expose to loud noise like balloon popping near them?

I think it's an indicator or warning to protect your hearing before permanent damage happens, but in a nutshell it's not known. It doesn't matter anyway, you're ok you know about NAC. You're in the knowhow.

 

[derpytia]

I think that the occurrences of 'fleeting T' happen to me more now since i got T than they ever did when I didn't have T. For instance before I had T I maybe got 'fleeting T' a handful of times a year. Now I get it 2-3 times a day.

 

[LillianLexicon97]

I've had fleeting T for as long as I can remember. Now that my T is chronic I have had fleeting T slightly more often.

 

[Mad maggot]

I think I've had those little noises now and then for as long as I can remember. Never bothered me at all. I thought it happened to everyone. I also sometimes get a little beep beep beep for a few seconds or my ear sometimes goes completely deaf for a short five to fifteen seconds and then comes back again. I don't see it as something to worry about personally but I suppose I can understand if it makes some people worry or anxious. But I don't think you need to be.

 

[shantelle]

You know how everyone usually gets the odd spike that lasts like 8-10 seconds than goes away. Before my tinnitus this would only happen to me like once a month...now i get them 2-3 times a day..does this eventually slow down? Are my ears still adjusting or since t is this part of it now? Who else experiences this? Im 3 months in.

 

[RicoS]

Had it 10 times a day in the beginning... I'm 2 years in now and I hardly get them anymore.

 

[JC Denton]

I occasionally experience a loud 440 hz reference tone which'll last for 10-20 seconds. It's something i'm used to now. The first time however it lasted a good minute or two which was a far from pleasant experience.

 

[Nick NY]

I have been living with tinnitus in both of my ears and partial fullness/poorer hearing in one ear (my right ear) for the last 10 years (since age 16, am now 26). I have seen more doctors than I can count, some highly regarded and as close to domain experts as seems to exist (including House Clinic in Los Angeles).

There is a phenomenon I experience aside from my constant-level tinnitus which I have discussed in passing with doctors but never received anything close to a diagnosis for, mostly because I would bring it up as an afterthought, even though it actually concerns me a lot. I am hopeful that perhaps somebody on the forums can point me toward even just the name of this phenomenon?

Basically every few months, I will be going about my day and suddenly a deafening ringing will completely overwhelm the sounds of the outside world in one ear (always my right ear, in which I have the fullness/poorer hearing) as if ripping through that whole side of my head. It usually lasts about 30 seconds to a minute and then the sound of the outside world comes slowly back into the ear. Usually the sound of the outside world comes back in over a period of about 10-15 seconds (during which the overpowering ringing that was ripping through that side of my head fades to a silence).

I have not done a careful experiment around this but it does seem to me to often happen when I take high doses of antioxidants, which I have a habit of doing after episodes of potentially damaging noise exposure. I don't want to get too deeply into the scientific merits of this regimen because it's honestly questionably substantiated but I have a habit of taking a heavy dose of NAC (~2000-3000mg/day for 5 days) after episodes of noise exposure.

I am not sure if that antioxidant regimen is a factor and don't want to put too much emphasis on it but I thought it was important context, even though it might be a red herring.

Most of all what I would like to know is if anyone experiences the phenomenon I described and knows what it is called?

Again this is something very different from my normal, constant-level tinnitus, which is a high frequency noise that sounds something like an old tube TV on mute, and which is louder in my left ear (the non-full-feeling ear) than my right.

Hopefully somebody has some insight about this and I deeply appreciate your time.

 

[Nick NY]

Update:

I have found references to this phenomenon on this forum and others:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/sudden-pressure-and-brief-ringing-in-one-ear.9712/

http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/tinnitusforum.aspx?g=posts&t=2954

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/fleeting-tinnitus.4462/

It looks as if it is called "fleeting tinnitus", for anybody who finds this thread.